


Where to?

by awkwardmomentsintimeandspace



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 04:48:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6038674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardmomentsintimeandspace/pseuds/awkwardmomentsintimeandspace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Immediately following the last scene of Season 2. Where did Hardy go in that cab?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where to?

Hardy stood with his hand on the Taxi door with the sky lit up in oranges and reds behind him. He gazed around the little town that he had hated so much; that hadeventually become a little like home. His upper lip curled in repulsion at that thought. He had dreamt so often of leaving this place that his hesitancy surprised and scared him. He hadn’t ever been good with roots, but then he hadn’t been fond of traveling either. Come to think of it, there had been very few places that he had truly felt comfortable in his life and those had more to do with the people than the physical location.

He thought of Daisy who was growing up so fast. Every time he saw her she was more of an adult than a child; more a woman than a girl, who had her own friends and her own space and her own schedule. Hardy wondered if she would be happy to have him living closer again, or if she would even notice. There was also a part of him that wondered if having him closer would be the best thing for her, for him…for Tess. Would it be better if she didn’t have him around to deal with?

Finally, he thought of Ellie and he felt the tug of a smile. She would begin to move on with her life now. She would get back to the amazing mother and friend that she was and maybe even finally get that promotion, with certainly no thanks to him. She’d get a new partner, maybe one that wasn’t so grumpy, not so much of a “wanker” or a “knob”. But that thought caused something to rise up in him. It was bitterness, jealousy and maybe a bit of bile. Whatever the combination, that thought made him sick, along with the thought that he would need a new partner as well.

His brow wrinkled as he realized that for the first time in a long time he had some longevity. He had time to plan for and even a little bit to play with. He’d never had to think this far ahead. He had always figured he would die in surgery or eventually his heart would just give out. But he could feel the steady beat within his chest, telling him otherwise. The Sandbrook case and Danny’s murder had been his sole purpose for so long now. He had spent so much time and energy trying to get justice for those two families that he suddenly felt bereft and without a purpose and that scared him to no end. He couldn’t remember the last time he hadn’t been working towards something. His life had been defined by working to become a DI, working to become a husband, working on case after case and working at being a father. What were you supposed to do if you didn’t have something to work towards? Then a scary thought came to him. 

He had to think about what he wanted. He needed to decide where he wanted to be, who he wanted to be close to and what he wanted to do. His mind immediately went to his daughter. Being close to her again was the right choice, for now. But what about in a few years when she left for college and had her own life? Where would that leave him? For the first time in his life Alec didn’t want to do the right thing or the responsible thing. He made the decision to do what he wanted. And that gave him more peace than any justice or penance ever could. 

XxXxX

Ellie parked the car in the drive and smiled. She felt like a weight had been lifted and she could finally start moving on. 

“Alright boys, time to go get ready for tea, then bed,” she said as Tom opened his door and headed towards the house.

“Tom, can you get the mail while I get your brother?”

“Sure Mum.”

 

Fred looked up as she opened his door and undid his belt. She sighed as she saw the sand from the beach all over him. “And you just need a complete bath, Mr.! You’re wearing the entire beach!” 

Ellie balanced Fred on her hip while she grabbed his bag and pushed the door shut with her hip. She brushed Fred off on the front step as best she could before following Tom into the house. 

“I’ll go start tea. Can you clean up your little brother for me love?”

Tom huffed a little but took Fred from Ellie and carried him upstairs.

“Thank you! I love you,” Ellie called up the stairs after him. 

Pausing only to grab the mail from the front table, she made her way through the hallway to the kitchen where she was met with the sight of Alec Hardy leaning against her cabinets eating a yogurt. 

“Christ,” she yelled as she dropped the few pieces of mail on the ground. “What are you doing here? I thought you left!”

Hardy placed the yogurt on the counter and bent to help her pick up what he had startled her into dropping. 

“I might have changed my mind,” he said, handing her a couple of envelopes. 

Ellie stopped in the middle of taking the mail from him and looked him in the eye. “Why?”

He grabbed for another envelope to avoid her gaze. “I thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to stick around.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s as good a place as any,” Hardy mumbled.

“Why?”

“Would you stop bloody asking me why,” Hardy shouted.

Ellie stood up and straightened the mail into a neat stack. 

“Well a couple of hours ago your bags were packed and you couldn’t wait to get out of here.”

Hardy stood and gestured towards the door where his bags sat on Ellie’s kitchen floor, “I didn’t say I couldn’t wait.”

Ellie’s eyes widened, “You are not moving in here!”

Hardy rolled his eyes and said exasperated, “Obviously.”

Ellie glared at him suspiciously and glanced nervously at his bags, “So you’re staying?”

“Yes,” he said as he took a tentative step towards her. 

Ellie looked back at Hardy with the hint of an ornery grin on her face. “Why?”

“Ellie,” Hardy said annoyed.

“You haven’t given me a reason!”

Alec took another step towards her so that she was forced to tilt her head to look up at him. His hand gingerly rested on her elbow.

“I was sort of hoping you would give me one.” Alec said as his hand trailed quietly down her arm. 

Ellie’s breath caught in her throat and her lips parted as if she was going to say something.

Before she could Alec continued, “I’m going to hug you now.”

All Ellie could do was shake her head. His arms slipped under hers, brushing her sides as she allowed his arms to fold around her. She hadn’t hugged a man since Joe and it felt so good to be held by someone. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck as she rested her cheek against his chest and melted into him. 

Tears prickled her eyes as she said into his chest, “I wanted to hug you earlier but… I couldn’t”.

He smiled as his cheek rested on the top of her head, “Why?”

“You were leaving.” She paused, unsure of whether or not she should continue. “And if I started hugging you,” she took a confidence building breath, “I wasn’t sure if I could ever stop.”

Alec pulled back a little as Ellie looked up into his eyes, “Isn’t that kind of the point?”


End file.
